MIT Demonstrates Fully 3D Printed, Active Electronic Components
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Summary
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed new 3D printing techniques to create active electronic components, including logic gates and resettable fuses, without using semiconductors.
These components rely on the electrical resistance of conductive filament, which changes with temperature.
By controlling the size and shape of traces, the researchers were able to create self-resetting fuses that prevent danger to ‘downstream’ circuitry once current above a threshold is triggered.
More complexly, the team created transistors by designing two printed paths that intersect, one acting as the control and the other as the signal, which - when a voltage is applied - controls the resistance of the signal, acting as a transistor.
While the system is scalable, cheap and accessible, its drawbacks include slow switching speeds and high power consumption.
